My Iron Maiden
by Eris not Eros
Summary: AU. JanexOC. A one-shot directly related to the roleplay forum: Volterra: Fae's Twilight Roleplay. I only meant for people who participate in the forum to read this fic. Rated 'M' for coarse language and violence. Written by Eris.


**Authors note: A HUGE thanks to my beta reader, Ethereal Fae****. She's like a life-saver when it comes to spelling and grammar. She's my own personal spelling-Nazi ^.^**

**This one-shot is directly related to Volterra: Fae's Twilight Roleplay****, and I only meant for ****people who participate in that roleplay to ****read this. I haven't introduced any of the characters properly because I expect people to know them already. ****However, if you're not in that roleplay and curious anyway, check the Rules and Summary**** page and scroll down to the bottom for a summary of the events in the roleplay. Then perhaps this one-shot will make more sense to you. Just to briefly explain, Axl is Jane's mate, and they have this whole twisted (and creey) romance going on in the roleplay.**

**For the people who are in the Volturi roleplay, this is Axl's point of view on what happened during the recent plot twist. It explains a lot ^.^ ...I hope o.O**

**And thanks to Fae again for beta-ing this fic for me. I LOVETH YOU FAE!!!**

**Disclaimer: The twilight universe has always belonged to Stephenie Meyer and always will. I just like manipulating the Twi-verse and torturing the characters in it for my own personal enjoyment XD**

**Also, I copy-and-pasted some parts of the roleplay for the beginning and end of this one-shot (although I altered a fair bit of it), so there are some small parts that were written by other people in the roleplay forum.**

**Warning: This fic is rated 'M' for coarse language and violence.**

* * *

**My Iron Maiden**

Torture. That's what it was to Axl. Torture. And not the sweet physical pain that he revelled in. This hit him where it hurt the most. Although he didn't want to admit it, he did have a heart, and seeing Jane so torn up and tortured was a living hell for him.

He watched Jane intently, unable to speak because Fate had taken away his voice. _Jane_, he thought desperately, wishing there was some way she could hear him._ I_ _wish I could tell you... I fucking love you. Get away from here before it's too late_. All his efforts were in vain, and he was unable to make a single word escape his lips.

He wished he could tell her... he wasn't about to be killed like she thought, that wasn't the plan at all. However, he was forced to stand still as a statue in the corner of the room, unable to move due to Eleanor's ability - to control people with words. He couldn't even use his ability to inflict pain; it had been stolen away from him by Lizbeth. Only his eyes were free to move, and he pinpointed them on Jane, wishing she would look his way, take notice of him. But what then? She wouldn't recognize him. Again under Eleanor's orders, he was forced to use his own chameleon ability to take on someone else's appearance.

_Why the hell are they making me watch this?_ he thought, seeing Jane held captive between two newborns, her eyes locked on to a fake 'Axl' before her.

Axl's copy sat before the fireplace with another pair of newborns restraining him. _Not that it makes much difference._ Earlier, Axl had seen Eleanor force the man to use his own ability to take on Axl's appearance, and then took away his freedom to speak, scream, or even make a fuss. The man's death was coming, and there was nothing he could do about it. _And all for what? So that Jane thinks it's me that died?_

Axl watched as an elder vampire set about taunting Jane, before she tore the fake 'Axl' to shreds and chucked the pieces in the fire. As far as everyone knew, Axl was dead. Meanwhile, the real Axl watched every little emotion flicker past Jane's face. He had expected some kind of extreme reaction from her, but not even he could have anticipated this.

The room fell into an eerie silence, which only seemed to forebode what was to happen next.

"N-no," Jane whispered, shaking her head. Axl could see her whole body begin to tremble. "NO!!!!"

The terrible sound of ripping flesh filled the room as Jane, in her rage, freed herself from the grip of the two newborns restraining her, and then tore them apart until only tiny little pieces were left.

Axl could do nothing but watch as she killed first the newborns, and then the older vampire who had killed the fake Axl. Even as he watched her, he could feel the burning desire to feel her nails tear through his skin with the same intensity as she was displaying now. More than that, he wanted to tell her he was still alive, and it had all been a lie.

_Jane..._ he thought desperately. _I'm right here!_ He struggled to move, to speak, to give some sign to Jane that he was still alive.

When she spoke, her voice sounded dead to Axl's ears. "I don't have a heart." The words tore at him, making him want to hold her, to comfort her, to bite her once more.

He was forced to watch in horror, as well as in awed fascination as Jane tore apart the vampires in her grief. His keen eyes picked out each emotion that flicked across her face_. Shit, she really does love me_, he thought, watching her display of rage. He managed to twitch his hand slightly as he struggled against Eleanor's orders to stand stone still, but that was all.

There was nothing he could do but watch as Jane seemed to reach a new level of violence beyond anything Axl had ever seen before. Silence fell again as Jane threw the last one into the fire. There was still a few vampires standing near the walls who had escaped Jane's rage, but Axl barely noticed them, his gaze solely focused on Jane.

She had dropped to her knees in the centre of the room, now in bitter silence. He could read the emotions on her face; grief, sadness, rage, abandonment, bitterness, hate. They were faint, and barely readable, but they were there.

_Jane..._ Axl thought once more, desperate to at least utter that one syllable.

Chantal walked into his narrow line of sight - he had only noticed her because she spoke to Jane. His Jane.

"Jane, we have to leave," Chantal said softly, trying to help Jane to her feet.

"No!" Jane snarled, refusing Chantal's help.

Axl loved how, even after all this, she still had some fight in her.

"Jane... there's nothing else we can do." Chantal said desperately. "Let's just go."

There was a long moment of silence, and then Axl saw Jane's shoulders slump before she finally got to her feet. "I'll get us out of here." she said, turning her deadly glare to the guards blocking their escape.

The room was suddenly filled with the violent sound of ripping again as Jane vented her rage on the vampires blocking their exit.

_Jane, please don't leave me_, Axl begged, seeing her and Chantal leave. He watched her retreating form exit through the door with bitter sadness, and he knew that this was probably the last time he would ever see Jane...

_My Iron Maiden._

*********

Two days later found Axl in a clearing in the woods. He had been given back his freedom to move, along with his voice, but there were so many restrictions upon him that he felt trapped. He couldn't escape. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't do anything that would damage the Silviatti sisters' plan.

Axl knew it would be less than an hour to run at vampire speed back to Volterra. _Back to Jane. _But he couldn't. He couldn't leave. No matter how much he fought and struggled to return to Jane, no matter how much he yearned to at least let her know he was alive, he was powerless to do anything about it.

What was worse, his older brother Nathaniel had stayed back in Volterra. _God knows what he's doing there,_ he thought with a savage growl. All he knew was that Nathaniel wanted Jane.

He recalled the conversation he and Nathaniel had less than an hour before his supposed 'death'.

***

"_What the hell are you working for that immortal child for?" Axl asked, glaring at Nathaniel. "You always hated people bossing you around, even more than I do."_

_Nathaniel gave a smirk that was incredibly similar to Axl's. "I would not be following their orders if I wasn't getting something out of all this."_

"_What __**are**__ you__ getting out of all of this?" Axl sneered._

"_Something which is rightfully mine," Nathaniel replied calmly. "You seem to have taken it from me. But no worries, with you out of the picture it will belong to me again."_

"_Why would I want anything that belongs to you," Axl said in disgust._

"_If that's your attitude, then you should have no problem giving Jane back to me."_

_Axl felt his mouth drop open as he was temporarily stunned into silence. Then he felt a burning anger flaring up in side of him. '_He fucking wants to take Jane away from me'_, he thought, enraged. __"Stay the hell away from Jane!" he growled fiercely, focusing his hatred into such an intense glare that it could have burnt a hole right through Nathaniel, if only his ability hadn't been taken away._

_Nathaniel barely reacted to Axl. "You won't have to worry about it much longer..." he replied, smirking knowingly._

***

The knowledge that his older brother was in Volterra right now with Jane - his Jane - infuriated Axl. He bitterly clawed through the tree he was next to, unable to take his anger out on anything that would scream in pain. More than anything he wanted to be with Jane, to hear her scream, and sigh, and gasp, and growl his name with a savage fierceness.

There came a cruel chuckle from behind him. "She really was rather pathetic," Nathaniel said, casually leaning against the same tree Axl was ripping apart. "No manners what so ever..." he continued, "...and an extremely foul mouth. But no matter, that can be fixed."

"What the fuck did you do to her???" Axl growled, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

"Nothing... much," Nathaniel smirked. "Not that she could do much to me either. The little bitch could barely use her ability on me, the weakling. A slap to the cheek and all I get in return are a few harsh words."

An enraged growl built up in Axl's throat. His fists trembled at his sides; his knuckles unnaturally white.

Nathaniel seemed pleased by this reaction, and continued in the same gloating manner. "Even when I knocked her to the ground, all she did was cuss at me."

He began laughing as Axl attempted to defy Eleanor's order and beat the living daylights out of Nathaniel.

All Axl was able to achieve was a few small jerking movements, then in his frustration he turned his rage on the tree, punching his fist the entire way through it and out the other side. The movement only reminded him of how Jane had punched through a newborn vampire in much the same manner, and he clutched his fist into his hair with his other hand, while resting his forehead against the bark of the tree.

"You're not as tough as you make out to be, little brother," Nathaniel taunted.

"Nat!" came another voice. "Fate wants to see you."

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed, irked at being bossed around by the three sisters, but he left anyway. They at least had given him Jane - which was the main reason, other than power, that he was working for them.

Once Nathaniel had left, Axl found a hand on his shoulder, and he spun around to glare at William. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked fiercely, swiping William's hand away. He used his anger to mask the hurt he felt at what Nathaniel had done to Jane.

"Look, Kid, I'm sorry for what happened," William told him. "I would help you if I could, but I'm just as trapped as you are."

There was a slow creaking sound as the tree finally lost the strength to stay upright, and it fell on the ground with a loud thud. Everyone in the clearing - the Silviatti sisters and all their helpers - turned to look at what happened. There was a small round of laughter at Axl, the kind that seems to float around and not originate from any discernable source. Among it, Axl could pick out Eleanor's childish, tinkling laughter, along with Nathaniel's much deeper, mocking laughter.

"I swear," Axl growled to William, "if that _child_," - he spat the word - "Eleanor wasn't stopping me, right now they would all be in such excruciating agony that they would be on the ground begging for mercy... and I would give them none." He wore such a cold look in his eyes that William physically backed away from him.

Axl tried to storm off, but again he was restricted from going too far. He struggled against it for a moment, barely able to move, as if there was an invisible barrier stopping him.

Although Axl didn't notice it, behind him William saw Eleanor collapse back into Lizbeth's arms as if she was exhausted. Her ability drained her energy, and the more people fought against her orders, the more energy it drained from her. Axl's struggles were so violent and intense that the effect on Eleanor was enough to make her feel lightheaded and drowsy.

Axl gave up with a frustrated scream, and collapsed to his knees, shaking. His head was bowed, but he refused to show all emotions welling up within him - the fury, the bitterness, the hurt, the longing... for Jane... his Jane. He refused to cry.

*********

If it weren't for Eleanor's restraints, Nathaniel, the Silviatti sisters, and all of their helpers would have been torn up a million times over, and a million times again in Axl's rage. He had lost count of all the times in the past year that he had wanted to - longed to - watch Nathaniel die a slow, agonising death.

No, not even that was good enough to make up for what he did, for what he was still doing.

Every time - _every single bloody time! _- Nathaniel returned from Volterra, he came back with more stories that burnt at Axl's ears. About how Jane had held him, kissed him, wanted him...

His words dug their way under Axl's flesh, engraving themselves in his mind and echoing hauntingly in his ears. Words could barely begin to describe Axl's anger, or his overwhelming sense of jealousy. More than that, his desire to see Jane was more than he had ever felt before. He tore into his own skin, leaving gaping wounds just to try and gain a little comfort in the pain. It was never enough. Even the pain had lost all meaning without her.

As if all that pain and torment wasn't enough, Eleanor had a mission for Axl and William that only added heat to the blazing inferno roaring away inside of Axl's mind.

The two of them stood at the outskirts of Volterra, within sight of the castle. _So close,_ Axl thought. Its mere proximity was taunting him. He needed to be in there with Jane. Again Axl was forced to use his own chameleon ability to take on the appearance of a man in his twenties.

_Jane, I'm here!_

He sought out her window, hoping he would catch sight of her as she walked past it, just a glimpse for a brief fraction of a second.

Nothing. _Fucking nothing._

Nathaniel suddenly ran up to them. From the smug smirk on his face, Axl could tell he had clearly just been at the castle... _with Jane... _The fury swelled up inside of Axl again, but there was no time to act upon it - not that he would have been able to act upon it anyway with all of Eleanor's restrictions upon him.

A few of Aro's guard members who were scouting the city had spotted the three of them, which meant it was time for them to leave. Their orders had been to wait for their presence to be discovered and then make a clean getaway, so that was what they did. With their scents hidden, it was almost too easy to escape.

Before long they made it back to the Silviatti sister's new hideout inside a stone-walled warehouse. Crates containing various goods lined the walls, leaving a clear space in the centre. Only a few of the sisters' helpers were there, along with Fate and Lizbeth Silviatti. Nathaniel sauntered over to Fate and started up an idle conversation with her; as if he hadn't just been with Jane; abusing her, forcing kisses from her lips and messing with her mind until she broke down into tears before him.

A space had been cleared to one side, where a pile of wood was stacked up. As Axl watched, one of the helpers set light to the kindling at the bottom, and slowly the flames began to rise, attacking the larger pieces of wood with an unrestrained ferocity. The smoke rose to linger around the ceiling, before it found its escape out a far window.

By the time the Silviatti sisters' helpers arrived, the fire had reached full height. Axl felt only a numb sense of surprise when he saw they had brought Aro's wife, Sulpicia, with them. She seemed to retain her air of pride, despite her situation.

William was already making his way over to Sulpicia, feeling it was his duty to protect her, when Eleanor entered. She seemed weak as she stumbled over to her sisters. Her ability was wearing her down, and she looked like she was close to passing out.

"_They're on their way_," she said in a low murmur as her sisters rushed forward to help support her. Eleanor shook her head before they could make a fuss over her. "_I want you two to hold Sulpicia hostage. Jayden will carry me._"

Although it hadn't been an order by the way she phrased it, Lizbeth and Fate obeyed her wishes, and took over the job of restraining Sulpicia in front of the fire.

William was forced by the use of his true name 'Jayden' to go over to Eleanor and carry her. He picked her up like a parent would to a small child, while Eleanor clung to his neck.

Although she looked young and innocent, she was anything but in Axl's eyes. _She_ was the reason he was trapped like this, the reason why he had been separated from Jane for an entire year, the reason Jane thought he was dead. His fury for her was only beaten by his fury for Nathaniel.

Axl knew what was coming next - he had heard their plans. Next step, Aro would come, accompanied by all the members of his guard. All the members of his guard... that meant..._ Jane._

It seemed almost impossible that he would see her again, after all this time. He yearned just for the sight of her. Just thinking about her gave him the overwhelming desire to see her, to hold her in his arms, to taste her once more. He missed her more than he thought possible. He felt as if with every breath he wanted to scream her name until she was with him once more.

There was a flurry of movement as Axl and the rest of the sisters' helpers were gathered at one side of the room near the fire where Sulpicia was being held.

Nathaniel sauntered his way over to Axl's side while they waited. "She won't want to see you again," he taunted, earning a savage growl from Axl. "As far as she knows, you're dead, and she's moved on. It's me she wants now..."

"Shut the fuck up about Jane!" Axl snapped at him. Nathaniel was always able to stir his temper. "I should have killed you properly all those years ago."

"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it? Jane's mine now..."

"Jane will _never_ be yours!" His vision was going red in his rage.

Nathaniel merely chuckled, finding Axl's reactions a great source of amusement. "She didn't seem to think that when I pushed her on to the bed and-" He was suddenly cut off by a punch to the ribs.

Eleanor gasped, feeling the sudden drain on her energy. In an extreme outburst of burning fury, Axl had somehow broken her order against attacking her group of helpers, and in doing so the sudden loss of energy sent Eleanor to the verge of unconsciousness. Her head slumped against William's shoulder, and her grip on him loosened.

Axl turned and struggled to run out of the room. Again, Eleanor's ability prevented him from escaping. With a scream of rage, Axl fought against her ability with all his might, and even succeeded in gaining a few steps

A small whimper escaped from Eleanor's lips as her vision began to turn black. She knew that if this kept up, it would kill her. Even if it would not destroy her body, it would at the very least release everyone from her commands, and she had enough enemies that her body would be thrown on the fire in no time. "_Axl Drake may leave this building,_" she whispered weakly.

Axl stumbled forwards and fell face first on the ground. It took him a moment to figure out what had happened. In the next instant he was on his feet, and before anyone could stop him, he dashed out of the warehouse.

_Jane, I'm coming for you..._

With a new hope and fierce desperation, Axl ran through the streets towards the castle. More than anything, he needed to see Jane again. He didn't care that he was still in disguise, or that there were so many restrictions on him enforced by Eleanor's ability that he wouldn't be able to speak a word to Jane. He would overcome that obstacle when he came to it.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears; a large number of people marching in time with each other. The sound was almost welcome to Axl's ears, but what was far more welcoming was what he saw as he turned the corner.

Amongst a sea of grey cloaks, Axl immediately picked out Jane - his Jane - and from the moment he saw her he thought of little else. She looked different from how he remembered her. Her face - the only part not covered by her cloak - looked gaunt and ill. More than that, just the way she held herself and kept tight control over her facial expressions made it clear to Axl something was wrong. He could almost see the way she was broken, beaten down, and overloaded with emotions.

_Jane, I'm here for you._

No matter how hard he tried, he could not force a single sound to escape his lips. His fists clenched in silent rage, unable to speak to her, to tell her he was alive and standing right before her.

He had been staring at Jane so intently he didn't notice the Volturi masters and the rest of their guard until they drew closer. Front and centre of the mass of grey, Aro stood in his deep black cloak.

Aro. That was the answer. If he couldn't speak, or change back to his normal appearance, or even give so much as a sign of his existence to Jane, then at least Aro would see the truth in his memories.

With a purposeful stride, and the determination to let nothing stop him, Axl strode forward to Aro and held his hand out to him, offering to show him his memories.

Expecting that Axl - who, as far as Aro knew, was just another one of the Silviatti sister's helpers - would be able to give him some of the answers he desperately needed, he brushed his fingertips over Axl's palm.

Aro froze, bringing the entire guard to a halt and leaving the street in an eerie silence. His gaze flickered to Jane for a moment, before returning to Axl.

"You can tell her soon enough," Aro told him. His voice was deathly calm, but in a way that seemed to be holding back a ton of emotions. "I need both of you to assist me now. If this is successful, then you will have nothing to hold you back."

Despite Axl's burning desire to be with Jane again, he could see Aro's reasoning. If they could just take Eleanor out of the equation, then all this would go away. He would be freed from the restrictions of her ability, and nothing would get in the way of him returning to Jane again. With the entire Volturi guard to aid them, this could quite possibly work.

For the moment Axl could not even speak to Jane, let alone hold her in his arms or tell her he loved her. He nodded to Aro and joined the ranks of the guard and Aro led them - guided by Axl's memories - to the warehouse where the Silviatti sisters were keeping Sulpicia.

He kept hoping that Jane would look his way, but she never so much as glanced at him. Something made her stumble, and Axl made to catch her. There seemed to be an invisible force stopping him from touching her, which only increased his frustration, as well as his anger at Eleanor. Not a moment later, Renata caught Jane in his place.

The entire way there, Axl strode next to Jane, so close and yet unable to touch her just yet. _Jane..._ He desperately desired to utter just that one syllable; just like he had the night the sister's faked his death.

As a whole, the Volturi and their guard entered the warehouse through one of the large side-doors, marching in perfect synchronisation. They came to a halt before the Silviatti sisters and their helpers.

As they entered, there was a fair bit of disgruntled murmuring as all their abilities were taken away by William, as Nathaniel reduced their strength and speed to that of a human. _Please, block my ability too,_ Axl thought desperately, wishing William could hear him. He had been the only one of the group left out, and it was easy to tell because his chameleon ability was still hiding his identity from everyone - from Jane.

"_You have finally come,_" Eleanor commented, smiling at them all. She said a few phrases to make sure none of them could leave the building.

_This is it,_ Axl thought. _All we need to do is kill Eleanor, and I will be free to be with Jane._ Then his gaze locked on Nathaniel, and his anger returned, remembering what he had done to her.

Nathaniel caught Axl's gaze and smirked mockingly, and he looked pointedly at Jane, as if to tell him 'She's mine'. He boldly blew a kiss to Jane, as if to remind her of what he had done to her.

Axl's rage threatened to boil over, and he was so enraged he barely paid attention to Aro and Eleanor's exchange. His mind was filled with the haunting words of all the times Nathaniel had gloated about slapping Jane, beating her to the ground, punching her, kicking her, kissing her...

"What do you want?" Aro demanded Eleanor, catching Axl's attention. Aro's eyes were locked upon his wife Sulpicia, fearing that this was the last time he would ever see her again.

"_What I want,_" Eleanor replied, "i_s for you to choose... Either Sulpicia dies and you go free, or you take her place while Sulpicia goes free. It is up to you, Aro..._"

From all around Axl, he could hear gasps and hissing noises made by the members of the Volturi guard. He hadn't known about this part of the plan, so he hadn't been able to warn Aro. Over by the fire, he could see that Sulpicia was beginning to panic. It was clear that everyone thought Aro would choose to let her die in order to save himself. Even Sulpicia thought so. She wore an openly fearful expression as she watched Aro, fearing for both their lives.

Eleanor was not just forcing Aro to choose between himself and Sulpicia, but between the good of the Volturi and his wife.

Off to one side, Axl could see William looking away guiltily. He knew William had nothing to be guilty about; he had only done what he did because Eleanor had forced him to by the use of her ability. No matter how much William struggled, he was unable to give the Volturi and their guard their abilities back.

To Axl's fury, he saw that Nathaniel seemed to be watching the whole ordeal as if it was a rather entertaining movie. As if he sensed Axl's gaze, Nathaniel turned to smirk at him. He seemed greatly amused by the varying expressions upon the faces of all the guard members, especially Jane's.

Aro seemed to have frozen in place, as if he was holding back a torrent of anger. He spoke through gritted teeth, barely able to contain and fear and rage within him. "If I die, then you will be bringing down then entire vampire world. You may not be able to see it now, but the vampire world needs a strong leader to keep it from falling into chaos." If Aro chose Sulpicia to be killed, it would have no effect on the vampire world, only on himself. Whereas, if Aro chose himself, it would tear apart the Volturi. Aro knew he had to do what was best for the Volturi...

"_What is your answer?_" Eleanor asked, looking like she was having far too much fun. "_Who shall die tonight... you or Sulpicia?_"

"I choose..." Aro looked at his wife, Sulpicia, and knew there was only one possible answer for him. "...me."

A gasp rippled out across the warehouse, and many of the guard members were staring at Aro in open-mouthed shock. Even Axl had been shocked by Aro's decision. He had known Aro to make his decisions with his head, not his heart. _I would have done the same for Jane..._ Axl thought, looking at her again.

If the guards were shocked, that was nothing compared to Sulpicia's shock. She had been certain by Aro's words that she would die. Now she was about to watch her husband die in her place. She struggled slightly in protest. "He doesn't mean that, burn me instead!" she pleaded. The Volturi needed him, not her.

"_Ah, so it seems the great Aro of the Volturi does have a heart,_" Eleanor teased, giggling. Her voice had grown slightly weaker in just the last minute as several people at once, including Axl, were struggling against her orders. Their struggles drained her energy since it required more effort to keep them in line.

Aro stepped forward from the rest of his guard with his head held high, defying Sulpicia's words. Several of the Silviatti sisters' helpers took hold of Aro so that he couldn't escape, and took him over to the fire to hand him to Lizbeth and Fate. As he drew near, Aro whispered a few words to his wife that were too quiet for Axl to hear.

"_You may release Sulpicia now,_" Eleanor told her sisters, making sure not to phrase it as an order.

There was a swap, and Fate and Lizbeth took hold of Aro rather than Sulpicia. They did not release Sulpicia, although they did take her away from the fire.

The fire roared dangerously close to Aro.

A fierce growled ripped from Jane's throat, capturing Axl's attention. She was clearly struggling against Eleanor's orders, and she wasn't the only one. It seemed like almost everyone in the warehouse was - even Eleanor's own helpers.

Axl was furious at Eleanor and her sisters, and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

Aro kept his head held high as he was about to be thrown into the fire, remaining dignified right to the end.

Eleanor suddenly gasped at a drain in her energy, and her head drooped weakly onto William's shoulder as she came close to passing out. There were so many people struggling against her ability that she wasn't able to keep it up any more. William managed to break through - although he was the only one to do so - and he blocked Nathaniel's ability, defying Eleanor's orders. He wasn't able to give the guards their abilities back yet, but they had their vampire strength, and that was a start.

Sage - one of the guard members - was one of the first to realise she had her vampire strength back, and ran forwards, breaking rank. She ran so fast that she was a blur, and before anyone could react, she tackled Lizbeth into the fire, making both of them fall into the flames. Aro stumbled, on the verge of falling in. With his strength back, he fought free of Fate's grip. Sage stumbled from the fire; her entire body covered in flames, and grabbed hold of Fate, making them both fall back into the fire. Free from his captors, Aro darted his hand into the fire and pulled Sage out. She fell to the ground, about to be burnt alive by the flames covering her body.

Axl sought out Nathaniel, but was angered to find out he was gone. During the distraction of Fate and Lizbeth's deaths, he had fled, disappearing like he always managed to do so well. _The coward,_ Axl thought cruelly.

"William," Aro snapped, drawing Axl's attention back to the situation. "Give Isabelle her ability back." Before Aro, Sage was burning to her death, and Isabelle held control over fire.

William gritted his teeth, fighting to defy that command too.

Eleanor found her vision turning black. She seemed to be on the brink of unconsciousness again as so many people at once fought against her commands. "_I take back... all of the commands... I have ever made..._" she whispered weakly, realizing her plan had failed, and her own life was in danger. "_You are all free now..._" She regained a new burst of strength now that her ability was no longer draining all her energy. With it, she dropped down from William's arms and darted out a small door at the corner of the warehouse, disappearing into the night.

_You are all free now..._ Axl repeated in his mind. The words seemed unreal to him.

To William, it seemed as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he was finally able to give back everyone's abilities. He dropped to his knees, waiting for whatever punishment was coming his way.

Axl closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in the return of his ability.

Over by Sage, Icis and Ian quickly rushed to her side to put out the flames. Her entire body was charred and burnt, and for a moment she hovered on the edge of unconsciousness before the darkness overcame her.

Jane had already left Axl's side, springing forward the moment she realised her strength had returned to tackle the two vampires that were holding Sulpicia.

Sulpicia ran to Aro almost on the verge of sobbing as she latched onto his arm. Once Sulpicia was away, Jane unleashed a fury of pain at the two vampires that left them writhing and screaming on the ground in pure agony. She savagely tore them apart - at least venting some of her anger. _"_You're not who I want dead, but you'll do for now." she chuckled darkly – a flicker of the old Jane showing through... the Jane that Axl knew.

It wasn't hard for Axl to guess who it was Jane wanted dead... _Nat, the bastard._

Aro was affectionately holding his wife in his arms, while at the same time giving out orders to his guards. He picked out a few of his guards to chase after Eleanor, and a few more to go hunt down Nathaniel. "Icis, you are to take care of Sage until we reach the castle. No one is to harm William. Take him prisoner instead. Any of the Silviatti sisters' helpers left alive, I want them taken hostage, not killed. You are to take them back to the castle. Everyone other than the ones I have sent out to track down Eleanor and Nathaniel is to also return to the castle." For a moment Aro paused and looked directly at Axl. "Jane dearest, I wish for you to remain behind for a while longer."

All around Axl, the guard members were retreating. William and another of the Silviatti sister's helpers were taken hostage, and Sage was carried away by Icis. However, Axl barely noticed any of this. He had finally gotten his chance to be with Jane again.

Jane looked confused for a moment, but nodded obediently at Aro as the guards began to file out. For a brief moment she became antsy, worried that being left behind would give Nathaniel a divine opportunity.

Axl held back a growl, seeing that the side of her face was swollen. _One guess who did that..._

The rest of the Volturi left the warehouse; Aro giving Axl a small nod before he departed.

_This is it..._

Axl turned to Jane, and stood there watching her for a moment. After all the anger, rage, jealous, bitterness, hate and fury he had felt for so long, along with the longing and desire to be with Jane again, it was almost too much to comprehend that he was finally able to be with her again. The sudden whiplash of emotions left him tongue-tied and speechless. But there was one thing he had to say... something he had been trying to say all along.

"Jane..." he whispered. In the one word he tried to express his love for her. Her name tasted so sweet on his lips. He had been deprived of it for so long that now it seemed indescribably more beautiful.

Jane quirked an eyebrow in Axl's direction, giving him the 'what the hell do you want?' expression. She then bit her lip, seeming to be afraid that he was there to torment her... _torment her like Nat does._ She was obviously very guarded about how she carried herself - trying not to let it show that her injuries were bothering her.

_I swear, if Nat ever returns..._ Axl froze, seeing the one thing he dreaded.

Now that the warehouse was clear, Nathaniel took his chance to return. He had managed to slip past the guards searching for him in the same way he had always managed to sneak into the castle. He sauntered in with a smug smirk on his face, acting as if Axl wasn't there. He used his ability again to take away the vampire strength and speed of both Axl and Jane.

"There you are, my love," he said to Jane, seeming more cheerful than he should be. "You should return to the castle. It isn't safe for you here." With an air of superiority, he wrapped his arm around Jane's waist and pulled her to his side as if he owned her. He smirked wickedly at Axl as if he knew something Jane didn't, and then forced his lips to Jane's, stealing a kiss from her.

Axl realised that Nathaniel hadn't been there when Eleanor withdrew all her commands... _he doesn't know I have my ability back..._

Jane growled savagely and pushed away from Nathaniel. "Stop it! I am _not_ your piece of property; I'm not your anything!" she snarled, wiping her mouth. "I won't take your fucking torment anymore!" she glared with such intensity - ability included - it would've felt like acid in his veins, travelling and eating everything inside of him.

Nathaniel dropped to the ground screaming in pain. "Little... bitch..." he muttered, barely able to speak due to the pain.

Upon seeing this, and Jane's reaction, Axl's vision was filled with such a blinding fury that everything he had felt before paled in comparison. The anger almost drove him mad. He needed to protect Jane. Behind his eyes he could see every kiss Nathaniel had ever gloated about, the way he treated Jane like an object, Nathaniel's tales of how he had abused and emotionally tortured her.

Anger infused his voice as he spoke, seeming to ring in every syllable. "Get your fucking hand's off her," Axl growled menacingly.

Just the tone of his voice was enough to capture Nathaniel's attention, and his eyes widened infinitesimally in fear as he saw his cold piercing gaze. Beneath the pain Jane was sending him, Nathaniel could feel a slow simmering pain build up within him.

"She's not yours, and she never will be."

The level of pain grew, as if he had just swallowed a mouth full of boiling water, making Nathaniel cry out even louder.

"You should learn, Nat..."

There was a scream of absolute agony as Nathaniel felt pain equivalent to molten lava running through his veins.

"...not to test me when I have the ability to kill you..."

Again the pain increased, as if there were millions of tiny, sharp, white-hot needles piercing through his skin, his muscles, his veins, tearing him to shreds. Nathaniel's face was the picture of agony, and only the whites of his eyes were visible.

"...with just my gaze alone."

The screaming cut off as Nathaniel's lungs gave out. He seemed to collapse in on himself, as if all his insides had burnt away and he was just an empty sack of flesh. It was almost possible to hear the acidic sizzling of flesh and bone as the venom from within him burnt away at the very last remains until there was nothing left...

Axl gazed down at the remnants of his brother, taking a moment to process what had happened. For so long he had dreamed of doing that; of burning him, torturing him, ripping him to shreds. Now that it was finally over, it didn't seem real. Everything seemed like a dream to him. Jane stood before him, and nothing stood in his way.

Jane had been using her ability as well, so she hadn't even realized it wasn't hers affecting Nathaniel in such a way until there was nothing left of him. The room took on an eerie silence as Jane stared at Nathaniel's remains. It took her a moment to put the pieces together, and then suddenly her gaze whipped frantically to Axl, as if the last piece of the puzzle had finally fitted into place.

"A-Axl?" she asked, wanting to believe it so badly.

The sound of his name upon her lips was like a musical symphony to Axl. For so long he had desired to hear it again. He was free from Eleanor's commands... free to return to his normal appearance. The anticipation seemed to build up within him as he let his appearance fade back to his normal self. He watched her, feeling the burning desire to be with her again, to kiss her, to hear her say his name again and again. He needed her, desired her, wanted her. His eyes seemed to burn with rage, jealousy, loss, sorrow, desire, hurt, love, and a million other emotions as he stared at Jane - his Jane.

Axl was barely able to speak coherently; the whiplash of emotions was so great. "Jane... My Iron Maiden..." he said softly, taking a shaky step towards her.

Jane's eyes widened in shock, shaking her head disbelievingly for a moment before she heard her name escape Axl's lips. Without a second thought, she ran at him and threw her arms around his neck. "Axl... you're alive!" she cried, her voice laced with emotions equal to his.

It started as a small sniffling, before the atmosphere of the room and all the events of the past year brought on an overwhelming sense of emotion that reduced her to sobbing heartily into Axl's shoulder. She clung to Axl like a lifeline, as if fate would tear them apart again at any moment. "You're a-alive..." she repeated through her sobbing.

Axl clung tightly to Jane as if he could not get enough of her - his drug. "They... they t-tricked you," he murmured in Jane's ear. He wanted to continue, but found his throat was constricted with the overwhelming emotions. Hearing her reducing to sobbing was all too much for him. Having her back in his arms again... it was too much to hold back, and a choked sob ripped from his throat as he breathed in her scent, tangled his fingers in her hair, and listened to the sweet sound of his name upon her lips. The overflow of emotions surrounding the two of them only made it more difficult to stop, and he found himself sobbing repeatedly with his face buried in the crook of her neck. He didn't care if he appeared weak, needy or desperate. He only cared that he had Jane back... his Jane... his Iron Maiden.

***


End file.
